


Like Father, Like Son

by thetransfanboy



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Dad!Tony, Doctor Strange - Freeform, Iron Man - Freeform, IronStrange, Marvel - Freeform, Other, Son!Peter, Spider-Man - Freeform, Tom Holland Spider-Man, eventual ironstrange, mcu - Freeform, some details aren't exactly canon, spiderman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-14 16:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetransfanboy/pseuds/thetransfanboy
Summary: Tony Stark meets the girl of his dreams, Mary Parker, in a hole in the wall bar in Queens. And thus, Tony feels the love he had been searching for in her. Nine months later, that love is trumped by his love for his newborn son, Peter. Even though that means losing Mary during childbirth. Tony's life is forever changed as he journeys into fatherhood and the many unique missteps along the way.





	1. There's Something About Mary

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this [ gif set ](http://thetransfanboy.tumblr.com/post/179684218182/mamalaz-mamalaz-avengers-au-if-tony-was)

~~~~-2001, Queens, New York-

 

A car that was much too expensive to be driven in this part of town pulled up to a hole in the wall bar. The driver popped out of the front seat and walked around to open the door for the pub's true patron. The man that stepped out looked like he would fit in about as well as his car. However, he carried himself with an unimaginable amount of swagger and confidence that gave him the ability to fit in anywhere. He walked to the door and waved with familiarity to the bouncer who stood in its doorway.

 

"Heya Hank."

 

"How's it hanging, Tony?" Tony slipped the bouncer a fifty and walked into the bar. He loved coming to this bar. It was one of the few places where he was just Tony. Not Mr. Stark. Not a billionaire. Just Tony. In assurance to keep things this way, he was very generous with any and all tips. After all, he could afford it.

 

Upon entering the bar, the sounds of classic rock played over an outdated juke box in the corner behind three pool tables. He walked passed those and the scattered high-top tables to the bar in the back. A new face, a pretty face, stood behind the bar. She was popping open a beer for the old man who was always at the end of the bar, his eyes glued to the ancient television that hung on the wall in front of that spot that always had some sports game playing. Tony took a seat nearly in the center of the bar, a smirk on his lips and his eyes on the young woman in front of him.

 

"What can I get you, hun?" She asked, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the music. She wasn't even fully looking at him, instead was handing over the beer to old man and adding his beer to his tab.

 

"Double scotch." She heard the order and looked up at him. Her face flushed as she realized who he was.

 

"Shit. She wasn't lying."

 

"I'm sorry?" He said, a little confused but overwhelmingly amused. The bartender made his drink and slid it over to him.

 

"May, my sister, told me that Tony Stark frequents here and to keep an eye out for him and to treat him well. But, I honestly assumed that she was lying." She watched as he sip a bit of it and placed it back on the bar.

 

"So, you and May are sisters? What's my over-under on getting to hook up with her?"

 

She immediately responds with a laugh, "No chance, pretty boy."

 

He pauses for a moment, calculates the risk of his next line and then smirks. "Alright then… Well, what about you?"

 

"Me? Well, if you maybe had taken a moment to learn my name before undressing me with your eyes, I'd give you a chance."

 

"What's your name?" Tony asks coyly as he sips his drink again. She scoffs, her mouth agape as she grabs the nearest rag and begins to wipe down a spot on the bar.

 

"Alright, hot shot, I'll bite. Mary. The name is Mary Parker."

 

"Well, nice to meet you Mary Parker."

 

The pair had hit it off. It was a slow night at the bar so there was a lot of time for them to chat and flirt. Mostly flirt. And I guess that's how Mary ended back up at his penthouse suite. Most of the time when he hits on girls at bars, they go back to his penthouse and he woos them with visions of the entirety of the New York City skyline, a smooth scotch, and soft music. Well, then it's followed by one night of passionate sex and then the boot. He was at least nice enough to not fill their hopes on false promises of returned phone calls, but then again, most girls that found their way into Tony Stark's penthouse at 2 am didn't expect the world.

 

That was the scenario for everyone else but Mary Parker. The night they met, they did end up back at the penthouse and there was sex. However, the next morning, he woke up before she did and rolled over. His eyes traced the outline of her silhouette in the satin sheets of his bed. They traced from her feet all the way up to her face. Tony couldn't have imagined that Mary could look any more beautiful than when they met in that bar, but her beauty was unmatched at that very moment. If it weren't for the fear of disturbing her sleep, he would have reached up and caressed her cheek. But he withheld his urge and continued to watch her for a few more moments before getting up. He went on to prepare her coffee and a light breakfast. It was something he had seen many times on TV, but something he had never done himself. He wasn't exactly "committal", but there was something about this woman that made him want to be.

 

And, that's how the best summer of Tony Stark's life begins. Meeting the girl of his dreams in a bar and then doing whatever it takes to keep her. Things move fast between them and by midsummer, for the first time ever, Tony has someone else living in his penthouse with him. Life is good and for a split second, the promise of the future gets even better.

 

Tony comes home from a day of meeting and planning to see his girlfriend of four months sitting on the couch, waiting for him. She seems nervous, as if she's been overthinking something. Tony instantly becomes scared. What if she's breaking up with him? He didn't think he could handle it. "Hey babe." He says, putting his briefcase and keys down onto the table by the front door and he walks to join her on the couch. "Everything okay?" She nods, and then shakes her head and then nods again. "Alright. That's uh that's a starting point."

 

"I'm sorry, I just. I have big news and I don't know how you'll take it."

 

"Well, there's one way to find out. Why don't you just tell me your news? I'm sure whatever it is we can- "He is interrupted mid-sentence by her.

 

"I'm pregnant." He freezes and looks at her. His brain, for once in his life, stops. He has no words for a second.

 

"Y-you're… pregnant." She nods, she is trying to read his face, but she can't determine what's going on in his head. "We're having a… Baby." He looks down, as if looking at her stomach, looking at his unborn child. She nods and follows his eyes. Watching him process everything. In a sudden movement, he wraps her in a close embrace. He holds her close to him. A sudden wave of happiness washes over him as he brain restarts and he fully understands. "You have no idea how happy that makes me." Her body relaxes at the sound of his words.

 

"Oh, Tony, I was so worried. I didn't know what you'd think." He pulls away and looks into her eyes. She notices his are glistening with tears. "I'm so happy too." He kisses her suddenly.

 

When they break, his brain goes into ultra-planning mode. "We can move to a nice house. A big one, outside of the city. With a yard and plenty of room for the baby to play. And… and… and…"

 

"Okay, Tony, slow down. According to my doctor, I'm only three months along. We have plenty of time to plan everything we need to. For now, let's just enjoy the moment." Tony smiles and nods.

 

"Just for the record, I like Peter for a boy and Elizabeth for a girl."

 

"It's on the record." She giggles and kisses his cheek.

 

For the next six months, they are both caught up in a whirlwind of planning and moving that the little thing of getting married never came up. Which they were both okay with. I mean, it was 2002, the idea of marriage was a little out dated. Especially for the both of them. They hadn't really talked about it, but there wasn't a need to.

 

"So, are we sure we don't want to know the gender?" Tony said as they rode back from the final checkup before the due date.

 

"I don't think it matters."

"Then I agree with you." He smirks and kisses her cheek. He catches the eye line of his driver and longtime body guard, Happy, in the review mirror. He could read the happiness on his driver's face, which was ironic because he wasn't the "happiest" person ever. Hence the name, Happy. "But, we are in agreement, Peter for a boy and Alice for a girl."

 

"I'm not set in stone on Alice. Alice Stark doesn't roll off the tongue." Tony sighs. "I know! I'm picky when it comes to girl's names. But, you really hit it out of the park with Peter. Nothing has been the female equivalent of Peter."

 

"Well, if the baby's a girl, we will look at her and decide then what she looks like. Whether it be Alice, Bela, Elizabeth, Marie."

 

"No. We agreed. No Marie. Sounds too much like Mary."

 

"Fine. Fine." He resigned from his stance.

 

A week went by, they were fully unpacked in their new home and they were putting the final touches on the nursery. "It looks fantastic, Mary. I think this kid is going to be very comfortable in here." He smiled and wrapped an arm around Mary, who had been quiet for a while. He looked down at her. "You okay?"

 

"Yeah… Just nine months pregnant and a little uncomfortable."

 

"Well, what do you say to a hot bath and a massage? Hm?"

 

"I'd say, what took you so long to offer." She smirks at him.

 

"Alright. Let's go. I'll get the water ready, you go get undressed." He kissed the top of her head and then set off to draw the bath. As he was doing so, he heard his name being called from the bedroom. There was urgency to the call so he rushed into to see her clutching her belly. "What's the matter?" He goes to her side and helps brace her. As he does, he sees a puddle of liquid at her feet.

 

"My water broke…"

 

"Okay! Okay! Cool. I'll grab the hospital bag and I'll get happy to pull the car around and we'll go. It's gonna be okay." He wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself. "Have you had any contractions?" She nods. "Why didn't you let me know?" He headed to the closet and picked up the back and then went back to her.

 

"I thought they were fake or just cramps."

"Oh, Mary. Okay. Let's head out." He gently leads her out as he calls for Happy to pull the car around and take them to the hospital.

 

They reach the hospital in record time and Tony gets to do the cliché thing of wheeling in his pregnant girlfriend and announcing that she's going into labor to every person in the department. They get her settled into the room and the waiting game of labor begins. The doctor warned them it could take a while.

 

-12 hours later-

 

"Alright Mary. I see the head. Can you give me a big big push?" The doctor calls out from between her legs. Mary nods and pushes with a vice like grip on Tony's hand. She groans out in pain, which hits Tony like a punch to the gut. She pushes until she can't anymore and then there is a small break for her to breathe and then they start the process all over again. Finally, after pushing and pushing, they all hear the loud cry of the new born baby. A smile spreads over Tony's face instantly.

 

"It's a boy!" The doctor calls out as he pulls the baby into the new parent's view. That's when the doctor sees Mary's eyes a million miles away. Tony sees the look of worry on the doctor's face and he turns to Mary.

 

"Mary. We have a baby boy. We have our little Peter." Mary's body begins to twitch slowly and then builds up until she is full on convulsing. He looks to the doctor. "What's going on?" The doctor passes off the baby to a nurse, who works on getting him cleaned up and he turns to another nurse who then ushers Tony out.

 

"Mr. Stark, please wait out here. We'll come get you shortly." Before Tony could protest, the nurse was back in the room.

 

Tony had lost count of the minutes he had spent pacing that hallway. He wanted to see Mary. He wanted to meet his son. But he had been denied that. He had seen a couple different teams rush in and out of that room, some with machines that looked like they were trying to do something to Mary that Tony didn't even want to imagine. Revive her. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Peter needed his mother. Tony needed her too. Suddenly, the door opened, and the doctor stood there. Tony looked at him, trying to read him for any answers at all.

 

"Mr. Stark. Let's talk in my office."

 

"What's wrong with Mary?"

"Please. We should speak in private."

 

"No, tell me now. What's going on with Mary??"

 

"I'm so sorry. She… she passed away. The stress of everything was too much…" The doctor continued to speak, but it had faded into the background of Tony's head. He slid against the wall and down to the floor. He brought his hands up to his face, hiding any and all weakness. Hiding his tears. Hiding his anger. "Mr. Stark." Tony didn't respond. He just sat there, mourning. "Mr. Stark. I understand that this is hard, however, you have a son now. He needs his father. Would you like to meet him?" Tony removed his hands and looked up at the doctor. He nodded and stood up and dusted himself off.

 

"I would like to meet my son." The doctor nodded in return and lead Tony to the nursery and to a bassinet that held a small mixture of Tony and Mary. The only piece of Mary that Tony had left. "C-can I hold him?"

 

"Of course." Tony reached in and picked up his son. He felt so light and fragile in his arms.

 

"Hey there, Peter. I-uh-I'm your dad. And I guess, you're the new love of my life." He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on his forehead.


	2. You Can't Break A Pinky Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has an business trip to Afghanistan that doesn't exactly go to plan.

-6 years later-

A pint-sized Peter Parker sat on his father's bed and watched him pack a suitcase for a quick trip to Afghanistan. "Are you sure you have to go?" Peter nearly whined. Peter's idea of the perfect weekend was Tony not having to do any work and they could enjoy movie nights with popcorn and enough candy to make Pepper worry about Peter's teeth.

 

"Yeah, peanut. I'm sorry. Rhodey wants me to help demonstrate this new bomb. He thinks that my 'theatricality' will help sell it to the soldiers. Like I'm ever dramatic…" Tony said accompanied by an eye roll and air quotes.

 

"Well… He has a point, Dad."

 

"Peter! You're supposed to take my side!" Peter giggled and fell back on the bed. "But, I promise, next weekend. You, me, and all of the good Star Wars movies." Tony reached out his hand with his pinky extended. Peter sat up and linked his pinky with Tony's.

 

"You can't break a pinky promise, Dad."

 

"Otherwise, you get to chop off my pinky. I know the drill, peanut." He smiled at his son. There was so much of Mary jammed packed into this tiny little boy that it filled Tony's heart with a mixture of emotions. That's part of the reason why Tony gave Peter her last name. The other part was so that Peter would always feel like his mother was with him. "Now, you know what to do while I'm gone."

 

"Annoy the crap out of Pepper!" He cheered as he stood up and jumped on the bed.

 

"That's my boy." Tony smiled and picked up his suitcase off the bed and set it on the ground. There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Pepper opened the door and stepped inside.

 

"Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes is ready for you downstairs."

 

"Thanks Pepper."

 

"Rhodey!" Peter called out as he bounced off the bed and charged out of the bedroom, heading full force for the living room where Rhodey was waiting. He jumped into the air for Rhodey to catch him once he was close enough. Rhodey caught him with little difficulty.

 

"Well hello there, Sargent Parker." Peter giggled wildly. "Your dad almost ready?" Peter nodded and then his little face changed from giddy to serious, as if he just remembered where they were headed.

 

"You're gonna make sure my dad's safe, right?"

 

"Of course, Pete. I won't let him out of my sight."

 

"It's just, I know it's real dangerous over there and…"

 

"Hey. Hey." He set Peter down on the ground and kneeled down so that they were eye level. "I promise I won't let anything happen to your dad. That's what I do. I'm a solider, so I protect people."

 

"You promise?" Peter extended his pinky just like he had done with his father moments before. Rhodey linked his with it. Rhodey then engulfed him in a hug. As a soldier, it always broke his heart to hear the worries children had about war. Especially, Peter. Peter was always glued to Tony's side and it's not like Rhodey hadn't thought of the dangers they were going into. 

 

Tony had made his way downstairs with his belongings just as they were ending their hug. "Alright. My turn for a hug." He kneeled down and hugged Peter. "I love you, kiddo. Annoy the crap out of Pepper for me." Tony always made sure to tell his son that he loved him at every single possible moment. He knew what would happen to a kid if he never felt a paternal love and he wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy, let alone his own son. In many ways, Tony tried to be the exact opposite of his father. He was playful, loving, caring. He listened to his child. And as a result, their bond was nearly unbreakable.

 

"Love you, Daddy." Tony smiled at the word Daddy. That word was being used fewer and fewer these days and Tony was learning to treasure hearing it. Whether he liked it or not, Peter was getting bigger and pretty soon he wouldn't need Tony for everything.

 

"I'll see you in a few days." And with that, Tony and Rhodey gathered up his bags and walked out the front door. Peter rushed to the big window that overlooked the driveway and front yard of the mansion. He watched as they loaded into Rhodey's impressive sports car convertible and then sped off, the engine roaring. 

"My dad is so cool." Peter whispered under his breath. He waited until the car was completely out of sight before sulking back to the living room and sitting on the couch. 

 

"Are you really going to annoy me while your dad's gone?" Pepper asked as she stepped into the living room and made space beside him on the couch. He shrugged and giggled.

 

"Maybe. Maybe not."

 

"You're so much like your father. It's ridiculous." She ruffled his shaggy hair, giggling herself. "Wanna watch a movie?" Peter nodded enthusiastically. He was an easy kid to keep entertained. Just put in a movie or turn the tv on at all and he would be enthralled for hours. Leave him alone in his room and he would bury himself in his books. Pepper was relieved when she first started watching him. She wasn't all that good with kids; She didn't have the imagination to keep them focused like most people did. But, Peter had enough imagination for the both of him.

 

-3 days later-

 

Peter woke up early but remained in bed. He reached for his book on his nightstand. He read for only a little while until he heard a lot of mixed voices coming from downstairs. Some sounded familiar, some execs from his dad's office, but some were brand new and authoritarian in nature. His dad wasn't supposed to come home until tomorrow and Peter had become excited at the thought that he had come home early. He rushed downstairs, still in his pajamas. Instead of seeing his dad, he saw a mass of people setting up what looked like a control center from a sci-fi movie. Pepper stood in the middle of all of them, clip board in hand. She was directing them to different corners of the living room for places to set up. She looked at the stairwell and saw the confused Peter standing there taking everything in. She dreaded this moment from the second she had gotten the news. "Peter…" She said, her voice wavering. She leaned over to an intern and let them know she would be back in a bit and made her way to the little boy. "Hi Peter. Can we go back upstairs and talk?"

 

"Is my dad home?" Peter said, scanning his eyes through the crowd, trying to find his dad.

 

"Well, uh, no. Not yet. Let's head to your room and talk for a minute." Peter's heart dropped to his stomach. The overwhelming sense of something bad hit him like a ton of bricks. He may only be six years old, but even he knew something was wrong. Pepper lead him back upstairs to his room and sat him on the bed. "Something happened to your dad. He's not coming home for a little while longer…"

 

"How much longer?"

 

"We don't know, honey."

 

"What's happened? Is he okay?" Peter's mind was working a mile a minute trying to catch up. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

 

"We- we don't know, honey. Some really bad guys… took him… I'm so sorry, Peter." She went to touch his shoulder but he jerked away. Tears were now falling freely from his eyes.

 

"Rhodey promised that he would take care of my dad! He promised!" He tried to wipe his face clear of the tears falling, but he couldn't move that fast. 

 

"Rhodey is working really hard to find him and bring him home." Pepper tried to sound reassuring, but the fact was that he was being held by terrorists and anything could happen to Tony at this point. All she could do was sit with Peter while he cried until he finally let her wrap him in her arms and rock him until he somewhat had calmed down.

 

On the other side of the world, Tony laid on the hard rock floor in some warehouse in the side of a mountain in Afghanistan. His body felt like it was on fire as he stirred from his unconsciousness. He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to find something that marked a location. His captors were smarter than that. "How do you feel?" A man with a heavy middle eastern accent asked from somewhere out of Tony's view.

 

"Like I'm actually dead." He slowly sat up, there was a weight in his chest that he wasn't accustomed to. He looked down to see a circular device inside his chest. It appeared to be made of scrap metals. "What the fuck is this?" He asked, finding the body that belonged to the disembodied voice to his left. 

 

"I did what I could with what I had…"

 

"What did you do to me?!" 

 

"I saved you! I removed all the shrapnel I could, that is keeping you alive." Tony looked down and touched it gently. It was surprisingly cool to the touch. "Look, you're lucky to be alive."

 

"Yeah? Well, I need to push my luck. I need to get out of here."

 

"You'd be lucky if you made it to the door in your condition."

 

"No. That's not an option. You don't understand." Tony said trying to stand up, but quickly sitting back down. "I have to get home." The man just looked at Tony, a little flicker of sympathy flashed in his eyes. "I have a promise to keep."

 

"We all have promises to keep."

 

"Yeah. But, this is to a six-year-old little boy. My son, Peter. He takes promises, specifically pinky promises. And you can't break pinky promises."


	3. A Sense of Right and Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter worries about his father while Tony does everything in his power to get home to him.

-That Night-

 

Peter had not left the front of the television set since he had collected himself from his breakdown after hearing the news. He had been rotating between 3 news channels: CNN, Fox News, and BBC. The story was just breaking about what happened. Peter knew that Pepper wasn't trying to hide anything from him, but he just wanted to process this in one of the few ways he knew how. Pepper would walk past him every now and then, just to make sure what he was watching wasn't too graphic. She didn't want him to be traumatized, even though it was honestly inevitable at this point. After a few hours, Pepper placed a ham sandwich in front of him with some chips on the side, a meal that usually he would devour. However, now, it sat to the wayside, unnoticed and uneaten. 

 

Twelve hours had passed, Peter had remained unmoved expect for the quick bathroom break. That's when a breaking news bulletin. Peter perked up and waited with butterflies in his stomach. "We have breaking news coming out of Afghanistan surrounding the Tony Stark hostage situation. The terrorist group calling themselves the Ten Rings have released a video featuring Stark. We will cut to that now." 

 

"PEPPER!" Peter called out as he inched closer to the tv. Pepper came running.

 

"What's the matter?" She turned and looked at the TV and saw a group of terrorists standing around a man with a burlap sack over his head, kneeling in front of them. Through his weathered tank top, they can see the circular silver machine stuck to his chest. Pepper clasps her hand over her mouth, trying not to make a sound.

 

"What's that under his shirt?" Peter looked up at Pepper and saw her face pale and in a state of shock. "Wh-what is it, Pepper?"

 

"I don't know, Peter." She sat down next to him and pulled him closer. She had an idea of what it was. But she wasn't going to tell a six-year-old that she thought they had strapped a bomb to his father's chest. 

 

On the television, they had pulled the bag off Tony's head, finally exposing his face. He looked exhausted and ill. Peter whimpered involuntarily and touched the screen on his father's face. "Daddy..." 

 

The terrorists began to speak in broken English about plans of further attacks on Americans if their demands weren't met. Tony just kept his eyes on the camera, he was scared out of his mind but didn't want to show it. He knew somehow that Peter was watching. He wanted to seem strong and in control for his son. They didn't, of course, let him speak. But if they had he would have called out to his son. If he knew his son, he knew that he was in a state of shock. How much he wanted to reassure his son that he would be coming home, and he was going to keep that pinky promise. Peter sobbed out openly, his hand was still on the screen, even as it switched off and back to the reporter. Pepper pulled him away from the screen and back onto a comfortable position on the couch.

 

"I want my Daddy!" He sobbed as he clung to Pepper with every fiber of his being. She rocked him gently while motioning for the intern to go get his blanket. As many young kids do, Peter had a blanket that comforted him. It was a soft crochet blanket, the only thing that Mary had ever made him. It was an amalgam of colors in a gorgeous swirl pattern. Once the intern handed it over to Pepper, she wrapped Peter in it and continued to rock him softly.

 

"It's going to be alright, Peter. Everything is going to be just fine." Peter sniffled and pulled his blanket up to just above his nose. His eyes were once again glued to the television. 

 

"Thank you, Pepper." Peter mumbled through the blanket, his eyes flitted away from the television and up to her. "For everything."

 

"Of course, honey." She smiled softly at him. "Oh, I do have a surprise for you. Your aunt May is on her way." That perked Peter up a bit. 

 

Meanwhile, back in Afghanistan, Tony was being tasked with creating a super weapon, a newer better version of one of the bombs on that his company produced regularly. As it would turn out, these guys were really big fans of his, he could tell that by the amount of his company's products in the few areas he had been taken to in this bunker, and wanted him to make them a mass weapon to be used against their various enemies. A part of him couldn't understand what was going. How had his company supplied so many weapons to the bad guys? He had always assumed that what he was doing was protecting America. That's how he had always rationalized selling weapons to begin with. He was keeping America safe and thus keeping Peter safe. If that wasn't the case, then he had been putting his son and his country at risk. 

 

So, instead of creating a weapon that was going to be somehow benefit them, what he was creating was going to be used for his escape, and perhaps eventually to protect everything he held dear. Tony was notorious for throwing himself into his work, but this time he had a good reason. Yensin, the man that saved his life, had become his assistant of sorts. He spoke a whole slew of languages, so when their captors would come in and harass them about their progress, he could communicate whatever magic BS he needed to to buy them time. He was able to keep it so for the next month Tony did nothing but eat and breathe building this suit of random scraps he found around the cave. He barely slept but when he did he dreamt of Peter. He could see the worry on his son's face. He could see the pain. And every time, it just made him wake back up and get a whole new motivation to finish. Then, finally, one night it was finished. He looked over at the man that saved his life and nodded. "It's ready. We're getting out of here."

 

"We?" He asked, a little surprised.

 

"You really think that I would have asked you to help me through all of this and then not offer to help you in the slightest. You really need to expand your opinions of Americans." Tony smiled softly and then looked up at the camera in the corner of the room, the camera that had been watching them this whole time. "We have a limited amount of time before they realize something is going on, so we have to move fast." Yensin nodded and helped Tony load himself into his suit. It was large and clunky, even if they were able to assemble it on Tony without their captors realizing, they wouldn't get far down the hallway without causing a ruckus. If Tony had more time, he would have been able to make it stealthier.

Yensin began to bolt Tony into the suit, but as he did, Tony couldn't help but look back at the camera that was watching them and wonder if they were watching, waiting, coming. Yensin worked quickly, but not nearly quickly enough. They barged in just as the final bolt was fastened into place. The captors frantically started yelling in Arabic. Tony took a deep breath and raised his right hand. It was a good thing that they couldn't see in the suit because he was sure his face read of fear and uncertainty. He closed his eyes and fired a plume of energy out of his palm. As he did, he felt a surge of energy pulse through his body. It was merely adrenaline, but it made Tony feel completely invincible. It wasn't hard enough to kill them, but to disable them as Tony and Yensin began to run out of the door.

 

The pair clamored down the halls of the bunker until they came to a crossroads. "Alright. Which way?" Tony yelled through the suit. Just as Yensin was about to respond, there were sounds of boots stomping down the hallway from one direction. It sounded like they were severely outnumbered. 

 

"You need to go. I'll hold them back."

 

"Yensin. What about your family?"

 

"My family has been dead for a long time. Thanks to the Ten Rings. Go. Your son needs you." Tony stood still for a second. "GO!" He yelled as he picked up a gun that was leaned against the wall near them. Tony watched as Yensin turned and ran into an onslaught of terrorists. He knew he had to move, but he had just witnessed someone risk his life for him. It would take him a minute to process but he didn't have that time. He turned and ran down the hallway until he saw a door leading him outside. 

 

Tony stood there, blinded from the sun which he had not seen in a month. There was nothing but desert for miles around him. Behind him he could still hear the firefight going on. "Thank you, Yensin." He whispered under his breath before he focused his entire body on lift off. He pressed a button on the inside of his suit which caused pure energy to pulse from his feet, raising him into the air. His basic understanding of aerodynamics gave him the ability to fly for quite some time before coming to a crash landing less than a mile outside of the military base that was target. Upon impact, his body was knocked unconscious.

 

In the crash landing, his helmet had flown off, revealing his face. Rhodey, who hadn't left that base since Tony's capture, was the first on one there, as he had a feeling that whatever this was, it had to do with Tony. Upon seeing his face, everything inside him was relieved. His friend was alive. "Tony…" He whispered as he placed a hand on his friend's chest. He then turned to the barrage of soldiers coming from behind him. "We need a medic!" The medic of the group began sprinting up to them and gasped when he saw who it was.

 

"Holy shit. He made it out." The medic sat down his bag and began to inspect him for wounds. "Mr. Stark. Can you hear me?" He shook him slightly before placing two fingers on his throat, looking for a pulse. The next few seconds were torture, Rhodey kept his eyes on his friend. Praying silently that he was okay. He looked down at his chest and saw upclose what he had seen in the video. He knew it wasn't a bomb. If it was, they would have detonated it upon his escape. But, for the life of him, he could figure out what it was.

 

"Well?" Rhodey asked after a moment, impatient to find out is his friend had survived that fall.

 

"There's a pulse." Rhodey exhaled a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. Tony began to groan a little bit and stir with in the rickety remains of the suit. The fall had damaged his suit beyond recognition. It resembled now an older military issued wing suit, so that's honestly the assumption Rhodey had went with. Any other assumption would have been way to outlandish.

 

"Tony!" Rhodey called out with a smile on his lips.

 

"Jesus. Rhodes. Get me out of Afghanistan." Tony grumbled with a chuckle, his eyes still closed.

 

"That's the plan, buddy." 

 

The soldiers come up and help Tony get back to the base, where for the next day everyone prepares getting him patched up and ready to travel home. Tony has a million different feelings and questions swirling around his head, but he kept most of them to himself. There was just one that he had to ask. "How's Peter?"

 

"He's doing just fine. May and Pepper have been taking good care of him." Rhodey reassured him. Tony smiled softly.

 

"Good. Good. I hope he's not too mad at me. I promised him a Star Wars marathon."

 

"I'm sure he'll just be happy you're home." 

 

The next day, Tony and Rhodey boarded a plane headed back to America. The entire flight, Tony was restless. Eager to get home, to see his son, to start his life anew. He had a million ideas of what to do with his company now that he had found out who else was using his product. His mission was to help protect America, not endanger it. And unbeknownst to him, that's what he had been doing. Not anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took a couple days to get out! I hope y'all enjoy! :)


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